Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (9 page)

Touching the ocean with my
toes sent a delicious tingle through my legs and up into my chest. It seemed to
settle in my blood once more, pulsing and racing through my heart. I imagined
my arms and legs moving freely through the water. I was anxious to feel that
familiarity with the sea again. Closing my eyes, I conjured up images from the
night before. This time with hardly an effort, the second skin formed over my
body.

Laughing in pleasure, I ran
several yards until I was sure I was deep enough. Almost repeating my actions
from the night before, I flung myself into the surf and disappeared beneath it.

Above the water’s surface, I
didn’t see the small boat slowly emerging from the shelter of a shallow cavern,
carved into the cove’s mountain wall by years of wind and water. From the boat,
a single occupant sat in silence, watching the place where I had vanished only
moments before.

Chapter 7

Beneath the water’s surface,
the cove sang with dazzling color. Emerald kelp lazily floated in the darkest
areas, concealing eels and fish. I marveled at the slippery sensation as it
slid across my skin while I drifted through the beds.

Further away, I saw the
glimmer of reefs and promised myself I would go there once I had finished
exploring the kelp beds.

As I swam, I grew more
astounded at the beauty surrounding me. It was no longer a wonder why many of
the islanders hadn’t befriended me. How could they have when I couldn’t
appreciate their home to the depths they did? With my lack of knowledge and
ability, I
was
an outsider. Shame heated my cheeks even under the cool
water. How frustrating it must have been for Sai to love his cove and
personally witness its beauty while I brushed it off as though it were no more
interesting than a village well.

Someday, I would tell Sai I
understood. I wanted him to know I sensed the ocean in my blood the way he
always had. I felt its pull.

Gently, I touched my fingers
to different coral and creatures. Tiny fish skittered away when I brushed my
hands through their schools. Some of the bigger fish wandered closer to get a
better look at me. I’d lost track of how long I had been under when suddenly, my
flesh tingled beneath my sea skin. Someone was nearby. I sensed it.

Turning, I peered through the
kelp beds and eyed the crevices and rocks on the ocean floor where a strong
diver could be hiding. I saw nothing.

I moved my gaze to the
spacious water above and jumped backwards with a gasp. Sai floated ten feet in
the water above my head, his eyes wide and bewildered. I blinked in surprise
for a moment. Thinking only of protecting my secret, I lunged upward, shooting
straight toward him with a speed he couldn’t comprehend. Sai scrambled
frantically for the surface. I easily closed the distance between us, not yet
knowing what I would do once I caught him.

My hand reached his foot
before he surfaced. I yanked him back down to face me, surprised at my own strength.
I grabbed for his arm and cringed at the terror masking his usually kind
features. Confusion swam in his eyes. I had wanted my gem to remain a secret.
His actions at the festival left me wondering if I could trust him, but I hated
the way he was looking at me. I ached to smooth away the fear in his face.

I held up my finger,
indicating Sai should wait. Breathing in deeply, I closed my hand around the
jewel and concentrated on breaking my connection to it. As I felt the stone’s
power divide from my body, I looked at Sai. His eyes grew wider as my second
skin dissolved. In need of air, I pointed upward and began to surface, not
bothering to see if he was following me. I knew he would.

 Above water, I breathed in
deeply and noticed an unfamiliar tang to the air. I looked around, trying to
find the source. In the distance, black rumbling clouds gathered on the
horizon, a sign of an incoming storm. Not twenty yards from me was Sai’s boat
and I began to swim toward it, my strokes weak compared to when I’d been under
the stone’s power. Sai stayed by my side, pacing himself so he wouldn’t get
ahead. Neither of us attempted to speak.

When we reached his boat,
Sai, sensing my exhaustion, helped me climb inside. Grateful, I collapsed and
lay panting for a moment while he clamored in next to me. From the worn look in
his eyes, I knew he was tired as well but I doubted it was from physical
exertion. We sat for a time, both quiet, breathing heavily, and trying to not
look at each other. When I finally gave in and glanced at him, his troubled
eyes met mine.

“What’s going on, Aylen?” he
whispered. I shivered, hating the frightened note in his voice.

“Nothing, Sai. I’m still me.
Same as always.” I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace.

“No. No, you’re not.” Sai
shook his head slowly. “You don’t like the water. The Aylen I saw today . . .”
Sai’s voice failed him. He gaped at me for a moment before raking his fingers
through his hair.

“You’re not exactly the same
person either. The old Sai would have never behaved the way you did last
night.”

Sai rolled his eyes and
pushed himself up, annoyed at the turn in conversation. I didn’t blame him. My
attempts to distract him were weak at best. “Don’t change the subject. This has
nothing to do with last night. This has to do with the fact that you’re hiding
something.” He stared at me for a moment, opened his mouth as if he wanted to
say more, and shut it again. Finally, his words tumbled out in a croak. “That
was you last night, wasn’t it? The thing leaping out of the water?”

I forced myself into a
sitting position and watched the distant clouds, now moving at a surprisingly
swift pace toward the island. Dark and angry, they whirled toward us with
ferocity. I wanted to join them.

“Yes, that was me,” I finally
admitted, not knowing what else to say. I turned my face toward his, meeting
his eyes. “I’d be willing to tell you about this, but how can I trust you? How
do I know you won’t tell Faema or Haran or one of your island buddies? From the
way it looked last night, you don’t have as much loyalty to me as I thought.”

He sighed in exasperation.
“Aylen, I tried to tell you last night. I don’t care about Faema.”

“I saw the way you kissed
her. You didn’t tell me the truth about your feelings for her so how can I know
if you’ll be honest with me when you say you’ll keep my secret.”

“You don’t have a choice, do
you?” Sai pointed out, frowning at the sky. He picked up his oars and began to
row us toward the nearest shore, his arms flexing with every stroke. “I
obviously saw something and don’t you think it would be better to at least give
me the truth rather than leave me with some warped idea based on what I saw?”
He let me chew on this for a moment before continuing. “Think of it this way.
According to what I saw, everything anyone has thought of you has some truth in
it. You’re strange. You aren’t one of us. And this just proved it. Maybe in
your mind I’m just misunderstanding what I saw, but to me — well, you didn’t
even look human. You wouldn’t want that to be spread around the island, would
you? Vairdans are always looking for more stories to tell around the fire.”

I glared at him, my arms
folded across my chest. “Are you threatening me?”

He smirked. “I’m just saying
that whether you trust me or not, I saw something. It’s too late to deny it.
You may as well tell the truth and risk me telling people than allow me to
believe in my own interpretation of what just happened.”

I threw my hands up in
resignation. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the upper cave. Once I
get the boat tied, we’ll hike up to it. It’ll keep us dry while the storm
hits.”

“I don’t know, Sai,” I said,
eyeing the horizon. “I think it’s going to be a big one.”

“I’ve seen worse. The cave
will be private and dry and you can tell me everything without worrying about
anyone eavesdropping. Besides, it will be a nice place to sit it out.” Sai
flashed an easy grin and began to row with more speed.

 I wasn’t concerned about the
safety of the cave. We had discovered the place years ago during a day of
mountain exploration. From the few footprints inside, we knew it had
occasionally been used as shelter in the past. It was a somewhat lengthy hike
up one of the cliff trails near the edge of Lailie and while it was a good
place to wait out a storm, it would be far from my home. I had no doubt my
parents would be frantic the entire time I was away. 

“Your parents will be
worried.” Sai said, voicing my concerns.

“I told them I would be with
Haji. Hopefully they’ll think I’m safe with her.”

“From the way you looked out
there, I doubt any islander could make you safer in the water than you were.”
As he spoke, there was a new look in his eyes. Admiration? I hoped.

“You’re not going to run away
to avoid talking to me, are you?” he asked as we reached the shore. To prove I
wasn’t going anywhere I grinned smugly, jumped into the waist high water, and
began to tug the boat to dry land. Sai laughed and joined my efforts. It took
only a few minutes to drag it across the beach and into the trees where we
fastened it to a stake with some rope. By then, the first fat raindrops had
begun to fall.

Sai reached for my hand and
pulled me into the trees toward the trail that would lead up the cliff. I ran
to keep up, aware of the feel of Sai’s fingers gripping my own. I hated and
loved, at the same time, the pleasant flutter in my stomach his touch always
brought. Trying to ignore it, I continued on, weaving with him around boulders
and rocks, dodging palms and ferns. Finally, we reached the base of the
mountain where our small cave was concealed behind a barrier of trees and
shrubs. The rain was falling heavily now and we slipped over the wet rocks, our
bare toes working to maintain balance. I clung to my stone with white knuckles,
wishing I could be back in the water where my feet felt at home. I realized too
late I’d left my satchel and my father’s spear back on the shore where I’d
entered the water.

Using drenched footholds and
handholds, I led the way while Sai followed close behind, ready to catch me if
I slipped. I’d made the trip many times in the past, so I was familiar enough
with the ascent to remain mostly sure footed in spite of the slick climb.
Still, I sighed with relief when I tumbled into the opening and my feet met dry
earth. After pulling Sai inside we both collapsed, our skin chilled and muscles
quivering.

“Wasn’t there a better place
we could have gone for some privacy?” I asked, sucking in a sharp breath of
damp air as a streak of lightening lit the sky.

“You mean with less of a
hike?” Sai grinned at me.

“That would have been nice.”

“I figured this gives you
little opportunity to escape. You’ve been running away from me lately. I didn’t
want that to happen again.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.
“If you’re my friend I shouldn’t need to run from you.”

Sai was suddenly serious. “Am
I your friend still?”

Sobering, I shrugged. “I’m
not sure. Do you really want to be?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

 I looked at him, surprised
to see warmth swimming in eyes but I tried to not let it melt me.

“I thought you were here
because you wanted to find out why I suddenly went all sea-creature on you.”

“That too.” Sai’s lips
twitched and then he leaned back against the cave wall. “Okay, Aylen. You
first.”

When I stared at him blankly
he raked his fingers through his wet hair, exasperated. “You start by telling
me what you’re hiding and how you were able to— breathe underwater.” He paused
at the last part, unsure of how to put into words what he saw.

I listened for a moment to a
peal of thunder echoing off the stone cliffs around us. Rain poured down the
sides of the rock just outside the entrance and the moisture in the air tingled
on my tongue when I inhaled deeply. It reminded me of being underwater. Silence
passed between us and Sai waited patiently, pretending to watch lightning
strikes. He didn’t fool me. His eyes continued to dart to my face when he
thought I wasn’t looking.

When I’d finally organized my
thoughts, I turned to him. “Last night, after the festival, I went down to the
beach.” Sai nodded for me to go on, his full attention on me now.

“I was thinking about how you
and Faema . . .” I stopped myself, shaking my head at the image. He responded
with a single raised eyebrow so I continued. “More than that, though, I was
wondering about how much in the Vairdan legend was true. My parents told me not
all of it would be. Only pieces. Some of what you believe isn’t how it happened
according to what they know. That’s why I’ve never been allowed to go before.
They didn’t want me to get truth mixed up with folklore.” I paused, waiting for
Sai to argue but he stayed silent, his expression unchanging.

“So, it all sounded like a
bunch of nonsense to me.” I looked at him. “I was on the beach alone and off in
the distance, I saw something sitting on the sand.” I halted abruptly, shaking
my head. “No, I take that back. It was floating above the sand.”

“Floating?” Sai said, his
eyes searching mine for clarification.

“Yes, floating. It was
glowing and when I went to it, I saw that it was a gem.”

Wildly, I blurted out the
rest in a rush, before he could question me. “That’s what’s so crazy about
this. I didn’t believe in magical stones, but this one was real. It wasn’t like
anything I imagined and it wasn’t like what the legend described, but it’s
still a gem.”

“So, what happened?” Sai
leaned closer to me now, his eyes darting occasionally to my closed fist.

“I picked it up and then, it
was as if my body began splitting in a million different directions. I can’t
really explain it but I think I felt the island in my blood. Or maybe I felt
the ocean. There was so much power, heat, and pain but it also felt incredible
at the same time.”

Sai only stared at me. His
chest rose and fell with each rapid breath and I wished, for a moment, I could
read his thoughts. “Then what?” he finally asked.